Shock and Awe
by BroomballKraken
Summary: Sylvain runs into his insufferable rival Lorenz after not seeing him for a year. He is eager to battle him again after such a long time, but neither of them were prepared for what would transpire as they both sent out their first Pokemon...Pokemon AU
1. Chapter 1

"This is your fault, Sylvain."

"_My_ fault? How the hell is this my fault?"

"...When I think of how to word it properly, I'll let you know."

Sylvain shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he glowered at Lorenz, who stared back at him with an equally seething glare. Sylvain had not expected to run into his rival after not seeing him for a few years, especially this far north in Faerghus. They had crossed paths on the outskirts of Gautier, where Sylvain was just starting a journey back to Garrag Mach, where he and Lorenz had met five years ago.

All aspiring Pokemon trainers had to attend the Trainer's Academy and graduate before they could choose a starter and begin their Gym Challenges. Sylvain had been pretty excited to finally get a Pokemon of his own, but he was even more excited to flirt with all of the beautiful girls at the academy. Unfortunately for him, Lorenz also had a bad flirting habit, and more often than not Sylvain spent more time arguing with Lorenz about who was better with the ladies than actually getting with any ladies. It had been an irritating time in his life.

Eventually, they had both graduated, with Sylvain choosing a Cyndaquil as a starter, while Lorenz picked a Snivy. They had gone their separate ways to complete their Gym Challenges, but they often ran into each other and engaged in heated battles. Sylvain won some and lost some, and he could never deny the fact that Lorenz made a damn good rival.

When their Gym Challenges came to an end, with both of them being defeated in the quarter finals of the Fódlan Championships, Sylvain had opted to focus on becoming strong enough to take over the Gautier Gym once his father retired. Lorenz left to do the same, as his father was the leader of the Gloucester Gym, and the two rivals had not seen each other since.

Sylvain did not anticipate reuniting with his rival ever again, let alone outside of his hometown, which was pretty far away from Lorenz's own home. Lorenz apparently had been returning from Sreng after taking care of some business for his father, while Sylvain was on his way to Garrag Mach for the annual Gym Leader Summit. His father was also going, but Sylvain had left early so that he could take his time and do some training along the way, as well as pay a visit to his friend Dimitri, who had already taken up the mantle of gym leader in Fhirdiad after his father had unfortunately passed away a few years ago.

Sylvain almost didn't recognize Lorenz when he first saw him. He had grown his hair out since their gym challenge days, which was a vast improvement to the disastrous bowl cut that he had sported back then. He was dressed in layers, more so than Sylvain due to the fact that he lived in a warmer climate. He looked like he was doing well for himself overall.

Lorenz had almost immediately asked for a battle, and Sylvain was eager to see how his rival had improved over the years. They had moved off of the road as to not disturb any travelers, into the thick foliage of the woods. Sylvain knew of a clearing next to a lake that would be perfect for battle, especially if Lorenz was planning on using water types.

When they both tossed their first poke balls, Sylvain was shocked at the sight. He had chosen his Toxtricity, Tox, who had just recently evolved and was proving to be an invaluable asset to his team. Lorenz had also sent out a Toxtricity, named Lavender, although his was the Low Key form, in contrast to Tox's Amped. And that is where Sylvain's current troubles began.

Tox took one look at Lavender and Sylvain could practically see the hearts form in his eyes as he bolted across the clearing. Tox stopped in front of Lavender and took her hands in his as he eagerly conversed with her, while she happily responded. Sylvain and Lorenz could only gawk at the scene, and their battle was over before it could even begin.

"Ugh...of all the Toxtricity in Fódlan, he had to fall for yours?" Sylvain grumbled, sighing as he sat down on a log.

"Please. My Lavender is an exceptional example of her species. She is much too good for anything trained by the likes of you." Lorenz retorted, scoffing as he sat down on the other side of the log. Sylvain rolled his eyes and turned his gaze back to Tox and Lavender, who were cuddled up together by the edge of the lake. Sylvain's had let his other Pokemon out to relax until he figured out what to do about this situation, and Lorenz had done the same.

Sylvain was not surprised to see that Lorenz's team was much different than the one that he had used during the Gym Challenge, because his own had changed a lot too. Sylvain's Rapidash was currently racing Lorenz's Galarian Rapidash around the lake, and they looked to be having a good time of it. Lorenz's Milotic was resting in the lake, splashing water lazily at Sylvain's Luxray, who seemed to be egging her on by roaring and pawing in her direction. Lorenz's Serperior, Roserade, and Froslass were chatting it up with Sylvain's Typhlosion and Houndoom, while his Hydreigon took a nap under a tree. Well, at least their Pokemon were having a good time.

Sighing as he ran a hand through his hair, Sylvain pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of Tox and Lavender. He then opened his group chat with his best friends - Dimitri, Felix, and Ingrid - and sent it to them.

'_Aw! how cute! Tox found a girlfriend! 3'_ Ingrid was the first to respond, and Sylvain pursed his lips as he typed out his response.

'_You won't believe who that other toxtricity belongs to.'_

'_?'_

'_Lorenz Gloucester.'_

'_LMAO sux to be you' _Felix had decided to chime in, and a sour look crossed Sylvain's face.

'_Where'd you run into him?' _Dimitri finally joined in, and Sylvain quickly typed up a summary of the last couple hours of his life for them.

'_Oof, good luck with that.'_ Felix said.

'_Do NOT separate them! they look so happy!' _Ingrid said at the same time, and Sylvain could practically feel her seething glare on him if he even considered the idea.

'_I'll figure something out.' _Sylvain hit send and put his phone away, standing up as he turned to face Lorenz.

"Alright, Lorenz, what are we gonna do about this?" Sylvain asked, waving a hand in the direction of their love-struck Pokemon before crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well," Lorenz said as he stood up and started pacing back and forth, his brow furrowing as he rubbed at his chin, "The obvious solution is for one of us to trade Tox or Lavender for the other, but I certainly would never give my precious Lavender up for anything."

"Yeah, no way in hell I've giving up Tox." Sylvain said, and he had to bite his tongue to stop himself from adding _'especially to an irritating snob like you.'_

"I thought so. The next obvious solution is for us to travel together-"

"Oh hell no!" Sylvain cut Lorenz off, and Lorenz narrowed his eyes coldly. "I can barely stand your company for a few hours. I am not crossing the entirety of Faerghus with you."

"Yes, I detest the idea as well. The only other option is to break them up and go our separate ways." Lorenz said, and Sylvain nodded.

"Yeah. I'm sure this is just a case of extreme infatuation. Tox may have caught his bad flirting habit from me…" Sylvain mumbled, and Lorenz laughed.

"Ah yes, you were quite the terrible flirt back in our academy days."

"Oh like you're one to talk! You were just as bad as me!"

"Oh no, not even close!

"Ugh, whatever!"

The two continued bickering as they crossed the clearing, stopping in front of Tox and Lavender, who blinked and cocked their heads at their trainers.

"Alright Tox, you've had your fun, it's time to go. Say goodbye now." Sylvain said, pulling out Tox's poke ball and holding it out towards him.

"Come Lavender. You can do much, much better than this poor excuse of a Toxtricity." Lorenz said, ignoring the heated glare that Sylvain sent his way.

Tox stared at his poke ball for a moment, and he narrowed his eyes and slapped it out of Sylvain's grasp. He then growled and sent a spark of electricity shooting through Sylvain's hand, causing him to jump and yelp in pain.

"Son of a bitch!" Sylvain hissed, jerking his hand to his chest. "What the fuck, Tox?" Tox just growled at him and sent another spark to the ground at his feet, causing Sylvain to jump back again.

"Just look at how barbaric he is. Lavender, dear, you really can do much better-" Lorenz started, but he was cut off when Lavender burst into tears and started wailing, the sorrowful sound deafening enough to cause Lorenz to wince and cover his ears. The sound then turned into an attack and Lorenz was launched off of his feet, with Sylvain following shortly after. Sylvain grunted as he hit the ground hard, and the wind was forcefully knocked from his lungs.

"W-Was that a Boomburst?" Sylvain gasped, wheezing as he tried to catch his breath.

"Yes…" Lorenz said, groaning as he struggled back to his feet. "She just learned it." Lavender's sobbing had caught the attention of the other Pokemon in the clearing, and Lorenz's Serperior quickly slithered over to Lavender. She listened to Lavender's pained wailing for a moment before she hissed and slithered over to Lorenz. Before Lorenz could say anything, his Serperior smacked him over the head with her tail.

"Ow! Serenity! What are you doing?" Lorenz said, rubbing his head as Serenity hissed at him. Lorenz listened patiently as she continued 'talking', and Sylvain wasn't surprised that he could understand her. She had been Lorenz's first Pokemon, after all, and Sylvain could also understand his Typhlosion pretty well after all the time that they've spent together.

"...I see your point. Very well." Lorenz said, and he quickly made his way back over to Lavender, who was crying into Tox's chest. He growled as Lorenz approached, and electricity sparked over his arms, and Lorenz's wisely stopped.

"Lavender, my dear," Lorenz said, and he paused until she turned to look at him, "I am terribly sorry. I did not mean to brush away your feelings so haphazardly. If you truly do love Tox, then I cannot in good conscious tear you away from him." Lavender stared at him for a moment, before she let out a happy cry and ran to Lorenz, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling her face against his chest.

"Hey, I'm sorry too, Tox." Sylvain said, rubbing the back of his neck as he walked up to him. "I want you to be happy, so I guess I can put up with Lorenz for a while so that you and Lavender can be together." Tox smiled brightly and chirped happily, pulling Sylvain to a bear hug.

"Alright, alright! I can't breath here!" Sylvain wheezed, and he laughed when Tox let him go and licked him across the face. "Ugh, gross!"

"Well then," Lorenz said, watching as Lavender ran back into Tox's arms, embracing him tenderly, "I guess we will have to be traveling partners for a while, Sylvain." Sylvain frowned and sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

"I guess so. Can't be helped."

"Where are you headed?"

"Garrag Mach. The Gym Leader Summit is in a month, so I thought I'd get a head start heading there so I could take my time and visit some friends along the way."

"Ah, good." Lorenz nodded as he pulled out his poke balls and started returning all of his Pokemon except for Lavender. "I am heading there as well. I will just have to tag along with you until we get there. By then maybe we can come up with a permanent solution to this...dilemma."

"Fine. I think I can put up with you for that long. Maybe." Sylvain said with a wink. He laughed when Lorenz pouted at him, and Sylvain returned all of his Pokemon sans Tox to their poke balls. "Ready to head out then?"

"Yes, let us get moving. Where is your first destination?"

"Fhirdiad. I want to pay a visit to my friends, Dimitri and Dedue."

"Ah, Dimitri is the gym leader now, yes? I hear his team is quite a force to be reckoned with." Lorenz said, his amethyst eyes lighting up. "I would love to test my mettle against him."

"Yeah, he's a tough one. The toughest gym leader in Faerghus currently. I'm itching to battle him as well. Wanna see if he gives me as much trouble as his dad did during my Gym Challenge." Sylvain's heart raced at the thought. He always felt the most poised and confident when in the heat of battle alongside his trusted Pokemon partners. When he eventually took over his father's gym, he'd be making a living doing what he loved most, and that was why he always trained so hard.

"Oh, I'm sure he will. Compared to my skills as a trainer, you are leagues below me." Lorenz said, chuckling as he brushed his hair over his shoulder. Sylvain rolled his eyes as they finished packing up their things and headed back to the road.

"Whatever, Lorenz. Whenever we get a chance to battle next, I'll make you eat those words."

"Oh, we shall see about that, Sylvain."

Sylvain glowered at Lorenz as they began their journey to Garrag Mach, with their first destination being Fhirdiad. Tox and Lavender walked along behind them, hand-in-hand, and even though they were the cause of his current frustrating situation, Sylvain couldn't help but feel happy for them. He supposed that putting up with Lorenz for a month was worth it...maybe. Sylvain sighed as he pulled out his phone to update the group chat on his interesting situation. This...was going to be a _long_ month.

* * *

Alright, so I'm posting this with zero outline for the rest of the fic so that's fun lmao uh just don't expect this to have a regular update schedule...

I'll also take any suggestions for Pokemon to give to Dimitri and Dedue, because I only have one for each of them picked out at the moment...So yeah, thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

It hadn't even been 24 hours yet, but Sylvain was already regretting his decision to travel with Lorenz.

"Will you hurry up already?" Sylvain groaned, arms crossed over his chest and fingers drumming against his arms impatiently. Both he and Lorenz had woken up at the same time, just as the sun was rising over the horizon, and while Sylvain had managed to clean up and make himself presentable in about ten minutes, Lorenz's morning routine was taking over an hour. It was starting to piss Sylvain off.

"Come now, Sylvain," Lorenz said, glancing briefly at him out of the corner of his eye before turning his attention back to the hand mirror that Lorenz's Roserade was holding up for him. "I just happen to care greatly for how I present myself to others...Unlike some people." Lorenz ignored the heated glare that Sylvain was sending his way as he continued applying his eyeliner.

"Ugh, fuck off. I do care about my appearance, _you_ just care too much about _yours_." Sylvain grumbled, and Lorenz huffed as he finished putting on his makeup and moved on to carefully and meticulously brushing out his long purple hair.

"Whatever you say. I do have an extra brush if you need one. And, judging by that rat's nest on your head, it looks like you indeed are in need of one. Badly." Lorenz said, letting out a haughty chuckle as he looked at Sylvain with narrowed eyes. Anger bubbled up within Sylvain, and he couldn't stop it from spilling over as he let out a frustrated growl.

"Okay, that's it!" Sylvain spat, whipping out one of his Pokeballs and thrusting it in Lorenz's direction. "We're having a proper battle, right now. Three-on-three. If I win, we get on the road as soon as possible, whether you're ready or not." Lorenz glowered at Sylvain as he stood up, taking the mirror that his Roserade was holding and stashing it away.

"Very well. I accept your challenge. If I win, I will take as long as I like to get ready, and will not hear a peep from you about it for the duration of our journey together." Lorenz said coolly, "Rosepetal, my dear, let us teach Sylvain the importance of a proper morning routine, yes?" The Roserade nodded and stepped in front of her trainer, and Sylvain snorted as he tossed the Pokeball in his hand, his Houndoom appearing in a flash of red light. He howled and took a fighting stance, growling as he glared at the Roserade in front of him.

"Bring it on, Lorenz!" Sylvain taunted, and their heated battle had begun…

...only for Sylvain to lose by the slimmest of margins in the end.

"This is fucking bullshit…" Sylvain grumbled from his spot on the ground, his shoulders slumped dejectedly as he glowered at Lorenz, who was now preparing tea in a large kettle over the campfire.

"Hm? Is that complaining that I hear, Sylvain?" Lorenz said, raising an eyebrow as a sly grin crossed his face. Sylvain pursed his lips together and glared even harder at Lorenz, hoping that a laser might shoot out of his eyeballs and disintegrate the pompous asshole into dust. Lorenz chuckled softly and continued making his tea.

Sylvain chewed on his lower lip, stewing in his disappointment at his loss. He had thought that his Houndoom, Doom, would have easily wiped out Lorenz's Roserade, but Sylvain had not expected Rosepetal's moveset to include Dazzling Gleam of all things. The first hit had caught both Sylvain and Doom off-guard, and that had proved costly, as the hit was critical. However, Doom was as stubborn as Sylvain was, and he had managed to get a few good hits on the Roserade before succumbing to his injuries.

Sylvain had sent Ty, his Typhlosion, out next to make quick work of the exhausted Rosepetal. His brief confidence boost was short-lived however, because Lorenz's next Pokemon was his Milotic, Majesty. Majesty had been with Lorenz since he was a tiny, weak Feebas, and he was anything but weak now, as Lorenz's training had turned him into a beast of a Pokemon. He had, unfortunately, quickly defeated Sylvain's beloved starter, but not before Ty had managed to hit with a successful Wild Charge that had luckily resulted in a paralyzed Majesty.

Lux, Sylvain's Luxray, was his last hope in winning the battle. The paralysis was a blessing, for the first hit with Discharge had almost knocked Majesty out. Almost. That was unlucky, because it allowed the Milotic to get off a Mud Shot, which did a good chunk of damage and rendered Lux a bit sluggish. After Majesty went down, both Sylvain and Lorenz were down to their final Pokemon.

Sylvain's heart sank when Lorenz sent out Serenity, his Serperior, who had been with him since the start of his career as a Pokemon trainer. Sylvain had been there when Lorenz had picked the grass snake as his starter, as Sylvain had picked his fire mouse at the same time. Their rivalry had started right then and there, as Sylvain had challenged Lorenz to a battle immediately, after the latter had already begun gloating to the former about his superior starter choice. That time, Sylvain had been victorious and shut him up good, but he knew better now. Even though he didn't like the guy one bit, Sylvain knew that Lorenz was an exceptional trainer. He wouldn't have called the snobby, stuck-up guy his rival if he didn't always push him to better himself by giving him outstanding battles time and time again.

Unfortunately for Sylvain, the Mud Shot that had slowed Lux was proving to be costly, as it allowed Serenity to move first and poison him with a nasty Toxic. She then quickly followed up with a Giga Drain, sucking away Lux's energy to use for herself. Lux had managed to get a few good hits in with Crunch, knocking enough of Serenity's health to cause her to stagger, but the poison and the grass serpent's relentless assault proved to be too much for Lux and he fainted, granting the victory to Lorenz.

And now Sylvain had to wait until Lorenz was ready to get back on the road, much to his dismay. At this rate, they wouldn't get moving until noon, and their journey would take twice as long. Sylvain didn't want to spend any more time than necessary with his insufferable rival, but he had lost a bet fair and square, so he'd have to just deal with it. It was all for the happiness of one of his beloved Pokemon, after all.

As if on cue, Sylvain glanced down at his Pokeball belt when one of them started shaking. Shortly after, Tox had released himself from his ball and let out a big yawn. Sylvain looked over at Lorenz, and found that Lavender had done the same thing, and it wasn't long before the two love-struck Toxtricity were back in each other's arms, nuzzling their cheeks against each other.

"Ugh, get a room already!" Sylvain said, rolling his eyes. Tox stuck his tongue out at his trainer and trilled at him in Pokespeak, and a sour look crossed Sylvain's face.

"I am _not_ jealous of you! I could have anyone I want, when I want," Sylvain said, smirking as he ran a hand through his hair, "I'm totally a catch."

"Oh please," Lorenz interjected, trying and failing to contain his laughter, "I don't know how anyone could stand to be around you for more than a few minutes. I'm certainly having a time of it."

"You're one to talk, Lorenz. As if anyone could tolerate your insufferable snobbishness for any longer."

"Hmp, you have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't I?" A smug grin crossed Sylvain's face, but was quickly replaced with a look of confusion as Lorenz poured a cup of tea and offered it to him. Sylvain just stared at it with an eyebrow raised, and Lorenz let out an annoyed huff.

"Take it already."

"Why?"

"It would be rude for me to indulge without offering some to my traveling companion. Wanted or not." Sylvain pursed his lips at that, but took the cup from Lorenz anyway.

"Thanks, I guess," Sylvain mumbled, lifting the cup to his lips and taking a small sip. The warm tea chased away the morning chill, and the taste made Sylvain let out a content sigh.

"Bergamot? Damn, that's my favorite," Sylvain said, a small smile crossing his face as he moved himself closer to the fire.

"Oh? How interesting," Lorenz said as he pulled out six Pokeballs, "It is also one of my favorites. How I loath to have something in common with you of all people."

"Egh, I feel sick just thinking about it," Sylvain said, the loud exaggerated gagging noise he made causing Lorenz to send a glare his way.

"Stop being so childish," Lorenz said, rolling his eyes as he tossed his Pokeballs behind him, releasing his entire team. "Come, my dears. The tea is absolutely delightful today." His Pokemon let out excited chirps as Lorenz began handing out cups of tea, and Tox and Lavender were quick to join in as well.

"Sylvain, are you not going to have your Pokemon join us?" Lorenz asked, and Sylvain shrugged.

"I guess I could. Wouldn't want to use up your precious supply of tea, though."

"Oh, nonsense. I have plenty stored up, and I can always restock in Fhirdiad if need be. No need to worry." Lorenz said with a nonchalant wave of his hand. Sylvain sighed and shook his head; he really should have known that Lorenz would have an entire stock of tea with him. He had been notorious at the Academy for inviting women to have tea with him, and ultimately getting rejected every time. Sylvain had often teased him about it, leading to rather hostile arguments that more often than not had almost resulted in them trading physical blows. It had never come to that, luckily.

"Alright, if you say so." Sylvain said, and soon the rest of his Pokemon had joined the massive tea party. After the tea had been dispersed to everyone, Sylvain and Lorenz's Pokemon talked happily among themselves, and Sylvain couldn't help but smile at the sight. He had to admit, even though their trainer was an insufferable twat, Lorenz's Pokemon all seemed to be well-trained and got along with his own rather well. It was odd, considering a few of them had been battling earlier this very morning, but Sylvain guessed that to Pokemon, fighting in battles brought them closer together. If only that worked for humans too.

"I must say, Sylvain," Lorenz said, snapping Sylvain from his thoughts, "your team is rather impressive. I'm surprised to see how much it has changed over this past year."

"Well, yeah," Sylvain said with a shrug, "I think the last time we battled I only had Ty, Lux, and Dash with me, of my current team."

"Do you still rotate your team out every now and then?"

"Well, yeah. Gotta keep all of my 'mons trained up and ready for anything." Sylvain said with a grin. In addition to his current team of six, Sylvain had six reserve Pokemon: Arcanine, Corviknight, Umbreon, Steelix, Walrein, and Pangoro. They had all gotten their time to shine in his main team, and he wouldn't trade any of them for the world.

"Yes, yes. As it should be. One should always have at least two full, diverse teams of Pokemon to battle with." Lorenz said, nodding as he took a sip of his tea.

"Heh, there's another thing we agree on."

"Unfortunate."

Sylvain couldn't help but snort-laugh at that, and Lorenz even let out a small chuckle. Sylvain hated to admit it, but Lorenz was actually being quite tolerable at the moment. In the end, they were both future Gym Leaders and their rivalry did push Sylvain to be a better trainer, so his relationship with Lorenz was a bit more complicated than what it looked like on the surface.

"Your team's seen some changes too. Where'd you find a Froslass? I've never heard of them or Snorunt appearing anywhere in Fodlan." Sylvain asked, glancing over at the ice/ghost Pokemon. Her attention was pulled from her conversation with Dash and Ty as she floated over to Sylvain, bringing a graceful hand up to her chin. She tilted her head as she gazed at Sylvain with big, blue eyes overflowing with curiosity.

"Ah, my dear Aurora here is the newest addition to my team," Lorenz said, a look of fondness crossing his face as he reached over to pet Aurora's head, and she cooed with delight, "I actually just caught her on my recent visit to Sreng. She is a beautiful, pristine example of her species, and she has already shown immense potential in the few battles that we have engaged in." Aurora let out a cry of joy at the praise and wrapped her arms around Lorenz, pulling him into a tight hug.

"A-Aurora! You will make me spill my tea, darling!" Lorenz said as he tried to push her away with his free hand, "And you are messing up my hair!" His plea fell on deaf ears as Aurora only hugged him tighter. Luckily for Lorenz, Ty had been watching this whole exchange, and he grabbed Lorenz's tea cup from him before it could spill. Sylvain burst out laughing at the scene, and Lorenz glared at him before sighing in defeat and embracing Aurora in return, earning a pleased hum from the affectionate Froslass.

"Thank you, Ty. At least you have some grasp of common courtesy, unlike the person who trained you." Lorenz said, and Sylvain's laughter faded as his eyes narrowed.

"Tch, whatever. Ty learned everything from me."

"Yes, learned everything not to do."

"Why you-"

Sylvain stood and took a step towards Lorenz, who had also risen from the ground, but they were prevented from moving any closer to one another when Ty stepped in front of Sylvain, and Serenity in front of Lorenz. Ty crossed his arms over his chest and a burst of fire erupted from the spots on the back of his neck, signifying annoyance. Ty let out a few growls and Sylvain sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Ugh, fine, I'll calm down." Sylvain mumbled, and he snorted to stop from laughing when Serenity smacked Lorenz over the head with her tail.

"Will you stop that, Serenity? Ugh, at this rate I'm going to have to redo my hair-"

"Oh hell no! We are not wasting any more time here for that!"

"I do recall winning a bet that prevents you from complaining."

"Fuck you!"

Sylvain pushed his way past Ty this time, seething with anger as he stalked his way up to Lorenz. Lorenz met him halfway and Sylvain grabbed the collar of his shirt, cursing the fact that he was just an inch shorter than his bastard of a rival.

"What the fuck is your problem, anyway? Why do you have to be the most stuck up, insufferable snob that I've ever met?" Sylvain hissed, his face only inches away from Lorenz's and eyes set into a heated glare. The unique amethyst eyes of his rival narrowed as he glared right back at Sylvain, and Sylvain continued to hold his gaze even as Lorenz's hand came up to fist into the front of his jacket, jerking Sylvain closer so that their foreheads were barely touching. They were so close that Sylvain could smell the sweet scent of Lorenz's shampoo; lavender with a hint of rose. It was amazing that someone who smelled so good could be such a fucking thorn in his side.

"_My_ problem?" Lorenz echoed, his voice low and surprisingly threatening, "My problem is _you_ Sylvain. You have always aggravated and instigated these pathetic confrontations and I-"

"Me? You've started just as many of these fights, you arrogant douche bag!"

"How dare you!"

Just as Sylvain and Lorenz both pulled back their fists to throw a punch, a powerful blast of ice-cold water slammed into them, knocking both of them off of their feet. Sylvain winced as he hit the ground hard, and he lay soaking wet on the ground for a moment to try and process what had happened.

"Majesty! What are you doing?" Sylvain pushed himself up to find Lorenz yelling at the Milotic, who just flicked her tail and turned her nose up at her trainer in response. Sylvain chuckled, but his humor faded when he saw all 12 of their Pokemon staring at them, with a mixture of looks ranging from disappointment to annoyance to anger. Lux and Tox looked the most angry, as electricity sparked dangerously over their bodies, and Sylvain paled slightly.

"Haha, it's fine guys! We're gonna get along now, right Lorenz?" Sylvain said, laughing nervously as he got to his feet and threw his arm over Lorenz's shoulders. He felt Lorenz bristle at the contact, and he turned his head to shoot a venomous glare at Sylvain.

"Get off of me you-" Lorenz started, but his gaze turned to the angry electric Pokemon and his mouth snapped shut. Sylvain was relieved at that, for he certainly did not want to experience what it was like to receive an electric shock while soaking wet, and he expected that Lorenz felt the same. Sylvain's arm dropped from his rival's shoulder when Tox and Lux calmed down, and Lorenz groaned as he peeled his wet hair from his neck.

"Ugh...How bothersome…" Lorenz muttered, crossing his arms over his chest with a huff. Sylvain violently shook his head, sending beads of water everywhere, including on the already soaked Lorenz. Sylvain snickered when Lorenz shot him a sour look, and he was surprised when Lorenz dissolved into a fit of laughter. That made Sylvain's grin widen. Huh, odd...

"Hey, uh, sorry about...all that." Sylvain said, rubbing the back of his head with one hand while he waved the other awkwardly in front of him. He hated to admit it, but he had been acting like a prick, even if Lorenz deserved it. Lorenz averted his gaze for a moment, before sighing with defeat and turning back to Sylvain, a surprisingly guilty look appearing in his eyes.

"I, well...I accept your apology," Lorenz said, "And...I'm sorry too. I lost control of my temper...how incredibly uncouth of me." An awkward silence fell upon the two for a few moments, before Sylvain peeled off his wet jacket and walked off towards his tent.

"Well, I guess we better get dried off and changed. Didn't think anything would stall us more than your insufferable morning routine, but…" Sylvain said, glancing over his shoulder with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Hmp. I do have to go through that routine again, though, so do get comfortable, Sylvain. Maybe you'll have enough time to do something about that messy mop on your head that you call your hair." Lorenz said, turning up his nose as he sauntered to his own tent.

"Eat shit."

"Profane degenerate."

With that trading of insults done with, both men retreated to their tents to change and dry off. Sylvain sighed, already tired from arguing with Lorenz for the entire morning. He wasn't sure if he was going to survive this journey, or at least make it to the end without throttling the insufferable bastard. Sylvain let out a frustrated grumble as he stripped out of his wet clothes and threw on some dry ones. He just had to keep reminding himself that he was doing this to make Tox happy, but it was almost not worth it, if Sylvain was being honest with himself. He could only hope that Tox's infatuation with Lavender would wear off and Sylvain would never have to look at Lorenz's dumb face ever again.

Sylvain left his tent and tossed his wet clothes to Ty and Dash, leaving the two fire types to dry them off for him as he packed up his tent and other supplies. Lorenz had given his clothes to Majesty and Serenity, who had them hanging off their tails to air-dry. Lorenz was back to fixing his hair and makeup, so Sylvain resisted the urge to complain and instead pulled out his phone, texting his childhood friend group chat to inform them of the drama of the morning.

Ingrid was sympathetic, but told him to behave for the sake of Tox's happiness, Felix relentlessly teased him about his situation, and Dimitri wished him luck and offered to buy him a beer when Sylvain got to Fhirdiad. Sylvain was grateful for that, because he'd probably need a stiff drink or twelve after his time spent with Lorenz.

Finally, just a little bit after noon, Lorenz was finished getting ready and had packed up his things. They both returned all of their Pokemon to their balls - with some resistance from the two love-struck Toxtricity - except for the two Rapidash.

"We should make it to Fhirdiad tomorrow morning if we ride through the night." Sylvain said, hopping onto Dash's back. The Rapidash neighed excitedly and stomped her hooves, restless and eager to get moving.

"Indeed. It is a good thing that we both have fast, ride-able Pokemon," Lorenz said as he followed suit and mounted Beauty, "I shall buy you some treats when we reach our destination and give you a good brushing, my dear Beauty." Beauty whinnied as Lorenz cooed at her, running his hands over her neck fondly. Sylvain rolled his eyes and took hold of Dash's mane, and a sly grin crossed his face as an idea popped into his head.

"Hey, Lorenz?" Sylvain said, and Lorenz raised an eyebrow at him as he waited for him to continue, "Let's make this a race. Last one to Fhirdiad has to buy tomorrow's meals!" Sylvain did not wait for Lorenz to answer as he yelled for Dash to go. Dash reared up and neighed before taking off at a thunderous gallop. Laughter filled the air as Sylvain turned around to see Lorenz yelling at him, but the wind whipping past his head prevented Sylvain from discerning what Lorenz was saying.

Sylvain turned his attention back to his front, and he heard another set of hooves thundering behind him, and he knew that Lorenz and Beauty had given chase. The two rivals raced off to Fhirdiad together, and Sylvain would be sure to order the most expensive items on the menu for his meals after he won this race. The absolutely sour look that was sure to cross Lorenz's face would be so, _so_ worth it.

* * *

So I know I hinted that Dimitri and Dedue would be in this chapter but, uh, it'll be the next one, I promise lmao Thanks for reading!


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